"The Berinstain Bears Live!" on March 8 is part of the nine show children's series at the Ridgefield Playhouse this season.

"The Berinstain Bears Live!" on March 8 is part of the nine show children's series at the Ridgefield Playhouse this season.

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Children are being encouraged to bring their Berinstain Bears books to be signed by the actors at the Ridgefield Playhouse presentation of "Berinstain Bears Live!" on March 8.

Children are being encouraged to bring their Berinstain Bears books to be signed by the actors at the Ridgefield Playhouse presentation of "Berinstain Bears Live!" on March 8.

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Playhouse faces challenges posed by home media

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Like every other form of live performance, children's theater is facing big challenges from the smart phones, tablets and TVs that can deliver just about anything to a kid looking for entertainment at home.

Allison Stockel, the executive director of the Ridgefield Playhouse, is proud of the fact that her venue programs nine children's shows every season, but admitted in a phone interview last week that it has become tougher to fill seats in recent years.

"There are certain shows that always do well. We could sell `The Wizard of Oz' every year," she said of the stage version of the L. Frank Baum classic the playhouse will present May 3.

"But we like to mix it up. This year we've been booking shows that are based on books to encourage reading."

Working with Books on the Common, the theater has been selling tie-in volumes at each performance and also has encouraged kids to bring books to be signed by the actors after the show.

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"It's a way to get parents and kids engaged in books. The whole idea of `Let's read it before we see it' is so the kids can talk about how the show compares with the book. We hope we are helping parents to get their kids to read. It's kind of cool for kids to see a book come to life," Stockel said.

On Saturday, March 8, the playhouse will be presenting "The Berinstain Bears Live!," which draws from a popular TV show, as well as a series of books.

"There has definitely been a decline in attendance over the past four years," Stockel said. "When we first started (in 2002), no matter what we showed, it would sell out. Now, it's a challenge to get people (of all ages) to see something live."

Stockel has been surprised to see the fast-growing influence of TV and movies on live performance. These days, you can't assume that kids know the old stories and plays that were once a part of everyone's childhood.

"Believe it or not, there were kids who had never heard of `Pinocchio,' " the executive director said of the recent Theatre IV touring production that played Ridgefield. "If there's no video game or (cable TV series), they don't know it."

Stockel said there also has been a steep decline in the sales of subscriptions or series tickets at all performance venues in the region.

"When we started, the series idea worked for a couple of years -- you get a discount if you buy a series. But now single tickets are the norm for everything. We don't buy albums anymore -- we buy singles. Marketing things as a series just isn't the way people see shows anymore," she said.

When we spoke, Stockel was starting to put together the 2014-15 season. She is considering the idea of presenting single performances of the children's shows, rather than the current 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. performance of each kids' production.

"The past couple of years it has been difficult to fill two shows. I might try one performance," she said.

Stockel is hoping the upcoming "Berinstain Bears Live!" will do well because it's a good show with a TV tie-in.